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Thursday, 27 September 2012

Authors in the Limelight: Ralph Hartman

I want to thank and welcome author, Ralph Hartman
for sharing his personal writing journey with us on my blog today. His book, Rat Rod, can be purchased from Musa Publishing, Amazon, and other on-line
bookstores.

How long have you been writing,
Ralph?

I started
many years ago, then pushed it aside as things like building a career and a
home shouldered to the forefront. Pushed aside but never pushed away. About ten
years ago I got to looking through all the bits and scraps and manuscripts and
thought…maybe? Write, polish, query, submit…manage the rejection…learn…repeat.
Eventually my third novel was accepted by a small Canadian publisher. Oh joy! Now,
I’m hooked – I have a plausible reason to do something I love. I now have two
novels on current lists and three soon to be released.

Sounds like you’re living the dream!
Where did you get your idea and inspiration to write Rat Rod?

Rat Rod is purely a response to an inquiry
I received from an editor on another piece I submitted. She wondered if I'd be
interested in doing a story specifically for one of their imprints; something
edgy and on the raw side of real. Something about drugs, or bullying, or poverty,
or gender bending. Hard to imagine, but this is how Rat Rod was born, it was to be a story about a fatherless young man
and the alternate male influences in his life. Couldn't do it. The whole desperate
character in a desperate situation was just too damn depressing. Well, I kept
some of that, but the story and the characters demanded more. Ordinary people
caught up in extraordinary circumstance. Yeah, this I can do. Soon enough, what
was supposed to be, faded into what was meant to be.

What sets Rat Rod apart from other books in the same genre?

I think
young readers want to see reality and possibility merged. I believe a story can
be both enlightening and entertaining. That it can be real, and surreal, with
heroes and villains and imaginings and secrets. That ghosts flit figuratively
within our minds and fugitively upon our world. In Rat Rod these elements are
not assumed or assured, simply presented as the story unfolds for the readers
to interpret as they will.

As an author, Ralph, what is your
writing process?

First the
story has to lurk in my mind, nothing big, just an idea building until it’s
large enough I can see it. Then write it down, print and save, and put it away
for a few weeks or months and let it steep. When it’s ready, pull it out and
read it. At this point it goes back in the trunk or becomes something possible.
Rewrite, edit, revise, edit, proof, and off to the beta readers. Revise, edit,
and submit. And wait.

Patience is truly a virtue! How long
did it take for you to start and finish Rat
Rod?

First
draft took about three months, if remember correctly. Revisions were about nine
months, and another six months to find a publisher.

Do you have any advice for other
writers, Ralph?

Learn the
craft; an education is invaluable. Learn the industry. You are one of a
million-plus, do not be discouraged or disillusioned. Set goals and know the
difference between your goals, and your dreams.

Wise advice! What’s next for Ralph
Hartman the author?

Shaw’s Consequence; a mainstream mystery / thriller
with Musa Publishing, will be released later this year. I’ve also written a MG
urban fantasy, book one in the forthcoming series False Ridge: Creatures will be released in spring 2013 with
MuseItUp Publishing.I’m working on
the next False Ridge book, hammering
out a dark psychological horror, andexperimenting
with some shorts.

Whew, sounds like your days will be
filled from here on end! Okay, here’s one for me, since I’m writing a time
travel series – If you could time travel anywhere into Earth’s past, where
would you go and why?

Wow. This
is a tough question. I don’t know. There would have to be music, and I’d need
philosophy. Peace would be nice, and freedom essential. The sun would need to
be warm and the earth fertile, no want for food or shelter. I’d want free
thought and free speech, and government by representation. Guess there are
really only two places that come to mind: Ancient Mesopotamia in the time
before the Sumerians, or that place John Lennon imagined in a song. Yeah—take
me there.

Rat Rod will be released September 28th.
Here is the pre-release link to Musa's site:

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About Me

Sharon
Ledwith
is the author of the middle-grade/young adult time travel adventure series, THE
LAST TIMEKEEPERS, and the teen psychic mystery series, MYSTERIOUS TALES FROM
FAIRY FALLS. When not writing, researching, or revising, she enjoys reading,
exercising, anything arcane, and an occasional dram of scotch. Sharon lives a
serene, yet busy life in a southern tourist region of Ontario, Canada, with her
hubby, one spoiled yellow Labrador and a moody calico cat.